Hurt and heal
by DanaBlood
Summary: Life took an ugly turn for most of the residents of Mystic Falls when Caroline Forbes became broken, Stefan and Elena left and Katherine died unexpectedly. Liz is forced in taking care of her hurting daughter and somehow of her friend, Damon. Will things get better? Will Klaus return to help? AU Klaroline Daroline (friendship)
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD. **_

_**A/N: Tell me what you think so far, if you like it, then maybe I'll continue it, but I won't know if you don't say something. I usually hate this, but if I reach at least 10 reviews by the end of the week, I'll update another chapter and so on. **_

_**Oh! Before I forget, This takes place sometime after 3x15 only Klaus leaves MF to search for his mother...and well, you'll see**_

**- Prologue -**

Blood soaked the ground, once a healthy brown colour now stained crimson by the broken body, twisted and cut on the forest floor Her hazel eyes were dull and her skin pale and stone cold, her usually clean designer clothes now ripped and dirty which hanged onto her corpse. Her attackers seemed long gone by now, but why would they remain? She was facing north, looking toward _his _house, as she lay dead in a pool of her own blood.

Sun shone brightly in the sky above of deep clear blue that resembled her eyes, pure and untouched as she'd once been. But that was a while ago, back when she could laugh hearty with her friends and dance and have fun without the ever-present memory of _that night_. She supposed she shouldn't, but she could stop the blame on both herself, but mostly on him. He had promised her, protection. He'd been too late, liar. Because at the end of the day she was still a shell of what she had been, forever haunted by the night she'd stopped shinning like the sun.

Darkness stretched out around him, drowning the ache and the horror he'd witnessed during his long, empty life. It had been that way ever since he could remember until it began fading away, disappearing slowly with the sound of her melodious voice and the sight of her angelic face. His loneliness was being overrun by her presence, he could not sleep, think, eat without her in his mind, so when _her light _began fading he cursed the weakening darkness.

Tears had not grazed his face for a very long time now, not since he'd first lost _her_, so when he stopped his nightly run through the forest at the familiar tang of dry blood, he thought nothing of it, except the usual curiosity drawing him in. Yet even then he realized, as he dug the hole that would become her final resting place, that his heart ached and hurt, that his eyes grew heavy with salty water and his stomach clenched painfully. That the smell was not a random person's. As he stumbled upon her body, torn and bent at an impossible angle, he wished he could find the strength to let them run freely again, he wished them back, the tears.

Love. Her last thought had been love as she was beaten and dying. She cursed her attacker for weakening her, she cursed her body for falling under its effects and, more specifically, she cursed herself. For lying her whole life, for deceiving the innocent, for hurting and killing others like it was now done to her and for hurting _him. _She had known it was a stupid, horrible idea to lie to him again. She had realized her mistake as the words tumbled out of her mouth and his face crumbled with the agony of the world, but it had to be done. He was in danger for loving her and she couldn't let that happen, not to him, so as she drew her last, unnecessary breath, she looked toward him and thought of their lost love.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Despite the previous request, I still decided to put up the chapter as promised. I just hope those who read it like it.

**- Chapter 1 -**

Katherine was dead. Caroline was still in her closed off little world. And he, Damon, was lost. He didn't know what to do now, now that his final tie to his past and the one woman he'd truly loved was gone. Sure, he'd said time and again that he hated her after what she'd done to him and his- No, the thought of Stefan was too much right at this moment, he didn't need to remember the day he and his girlfriend left him here, alone and dying. If only Caroline was once again herself, she'd know what to say, or do, to ease this pain inside his chest. She was, after all, the one to save him and stay by him once his traitorous brother left him for dead. But Caroline was engulfed by darkness as each day passed and there was nothing anyone could do to bring her out of it.

Shaking his head, Damon recalled the day Klaus, the so-called heartless hybrid, left the town. It was only two weeks ago that the Original's final proverbial drop spilled over the proverbial glass as he watched the blonde beauty he'd learnt to love scratch her skin raw in the shower again. He stopped her, fought against her slaps and endured her cries of pain until the damage was repaired and she was once more under her mother's watchful eyes before he took off.

Bending, the brunette vampire picks up Katherine's grey and battered body, descends into the hole he'd dug and lays her down, softly. He takes great care in making it look natural, in making her dress cover her curves and brushes her hair back. He gets back up, and, with one last fleeting look, he begins filling the grave with earth.

Liz Forbes has had a relatively hard life, but she never knew just how difficult and painful it could be until she saw the mangled, bleeding body of her only child, _of her little girl_, in Klaus' arms as the hybrid cried. She will never forget that night. Caroline had apparently been on a date with her boyfriend Tyler, the night had been fun and full of happiness until she told him she wanted to break up. Liz knew the kid's relationship was crumbling to pieces even before everyone else saw it, it was just not meant to be. Tyler was impulsive and rash and violent while Caroline was a dreamer, independent and sweet. Also, the two had been apart for months by the time the former werewolf turned hybrid returned and by then it was too late. Liz also guessed, before even Caroline herself, that her daughter was falling hard for Klaus. The jewellery and the dress and the ball invite had been a good start but the drawings had been the final step and before long the blond vampire was lost. Oh, if only Tyler had controlled himself, if only her sweet angel had gone straight home, if only those God damned bastards had been fewer! Or Klaus faster.

_No! He isn't to blame. He did try and had he not been there, Caroline could have been worse off still!_ The sheriff chastised herself. Klaus had been surprisingly helpful in aiding her and her daughter after the fateful night. And even more so, in caring for them. Liz had known that the hybrid was at the very least taken with Caroline, but as time went by, the woman was assured it had long since developed into love. She also didn't blame him for leaving. He had done more than inhumanly possible to help and bring the old Caroline back, but even he had his limits. He could stand the hurt look any longer nor could he stand the reproaches and hits. Especially not after reading her letter. Her daughter had been incredibly smart. She knew who she loved and she also knew that a phone call wouldn't be enough so she sent Klaus a letter explaining all of her feelings. He'd been away on a business and wasn't due to return until far later. Her letter had brought him back at the perfect time to see her spiral into the darkness she saved _him _from. Fate has a very dark sense of humour he'd once confided in Liz, his body looked tired and his eyes haunted as they sat at her kitchen table and drank a cup of coffee. She remembered nodding and sipping the black liquid as he stared off into nothing.

"Liz!?" she jumped and spun around to face Damon. He had been helping them as well, as much as he could after Caroline healed his broken spirit and mended his physical wounds. He felt as if he owed the 'Blondie' so he did what he could. He usually cooked and cleaned the mess, occasionally looking after the girl in question. As they were forced to work together, Klaus and Damon had developed an odd friendship over their mutual care for her daughter. Liz was glad at least one good thing had resulted from this horrible situation.

"Damon..." she began uncertain. "What's wrong?! Why are you covered in blood?!" her voice took a louder tone at the sight of him. However, despite the obvious clues, she had come to the conclusion something bad had happened at the look in his eyes. They had never seemed so lost and full of anguish as they did now.

She ignored his "I'm fine" retort and dragged him to the bathroom. She stripped him of his clothes and led him to the shower, instructing him to clean up as one would a child. If he heard her she could know as he gave no indication as she rushed to get some clothes for him. She left them on the sink counter and returned to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. She waited and waited for him but an hour passed and then another and a feeling in her gut told her to check on him so she did. She found him in the same position she'd left him in. Standing in the spray of water, now gone cold, staring into space. She rushed and took a large 'fluffy' towel, her daughters favourite before this whole mess, and enveloped him n it, pulling him outside. She let him into her bedroom, all the while rubbing up and down his arms. She began drying him off and her heart stopped for a second as she felt his skin as cold as ice as well as its blue-purple colour. She felt like he was her child as well so she took great care in warming him up and dressing him. Once that was finished, Liz led him to the kitchen and pushed the steaming cup of tea in his hands.

"Damon...Damon!" she screamed and his head snapped in her direction. She saw his brow furrow and his face contort into a frown of confusion.

"Liz? What's going on? How... how did I get here?!" She shook her head. She had no idea what had happened to bring him here.

"What do you remember?"

"I... Oh God! Katherine!" he jumped to his feet, shaking the table and spilling a few drops of the hot liquid onto the wood as he began pacing in an agitated manor. It was her time to frown now. Straining her human ears to catch what he was muttering she managed to catch "Katherine" "damn" "blood" and "dead". It didn't take a genius to piece it so Liz immediately guessed that Katherine Pierce was now dead and that her death had affected Damon more than anyone would know.

"Damon... hey!" she took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She got up and threw her arms around him. As she felt him reciprocate, she also heard the broken sob that was ripped from his throat. Finally he cried.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N : Well, you know the drill, I update, you read and review. I don't own TVD, nor will I ever. Sad, but true. Enjoy!

**- Chapter 2 -**

Once he calmed down enough to explain, the two resumed their tea and debated what could now be done. Damon had let the usual wall surround him again, making his emotions perfectly – well, almost, for Liz already knew what she should look for in him – masked. After having known him for 2 years, she'd learned, as time went by, to read him even when no other could. As she listen to him tell his story, she took into account the minuscule clench of him hand on the cup, or the haunted look in his eyes, or the low tone of his voice. It was easy to pinpoint his heartache in this manor, he'd never been one to think rationally, he always followed his instincts. They were, after all, what led him back home. His love for … Katherine.

"So what should we do? Should I try to find whoever killed her, or should I … rejoice?"

She waited for him to be attentive before she told him what she thought. "I think you have to try and find them. You... owe it to yourself. Damon, I know you think she deserved it, but you need this closure." She saw him nod, but she would never know what he was going to say as she heard Caroline bang the wall her head had been propped against. She rose to her feet and rushed to her daughter's room.

"Caroline... sweetie? Are you alright? " Of course there was no answer, there hadn't been one in months, but she had hope still. Slowly, as to not scare the volatile girl away, Liz approached the bedside and cautiously slid a pillow behind the vampire's head. She could see the new stains of blood on the concrete and the gash forming in it. Despite the obvious lack of focus in her daughter, her strength and speed had increased with the loss of control. Vaguely, Liz registered Damon's presence inside the chamber, but it wasn't until she felt Caroline's fangs pierce the skin of her arm that she truly saw him. He was fast enough to pull her back before Caroline could do any real damage, but the beat of her heart still jumped and the vampire renewed her struggle against the bonds that kept her from hurting either herself or others.

Sometime after this episode, Liz remembers Damon feeding Caroline a blood bag, but she's too focused on the always returning thought of getting rid of the chains that hold the blonde girl tied to the bed. She is her mother so the sight of her daughter in chins can only worsen her heartache. Closing her eyes to the sound of Damon's voice whispering in the other room, Liz recalls Caroline's last aware moment. She had been spiraling into the never ending darkness that seemed to follow vampires all around the world when the girl grabbed the sheriff's arm to pull her down to her level. Liz flinched but went without question.

"_Mum, tie me up, I think this is the last power I have left to spare." _ she had said before falling to sleep. Liz had dismissed her words for the moment as Klaus came to take Caroline's hand in his and kissed her knuckles, but, by the next morning, Caroline was gone. Her mind had been taken over by the vampire inside, ruled by blood-lust and instinct. Had Klaus not been there, the girl would have drained half of Mystic Falls and then some before Damon could have caught her.

Liz recalled the reaction to her suggestion. Klaus' scream of "Have you gone mad?!", Damon's disbelieving stare and, before Bonnie fell in a coma due to the brain injury of being slammed into a wall by Caroline, the witch's temper flaring and making the light flicker before they exploded. The thought of Bonnie still hurt Liz, she should have been more careful so that it never happened, yet she hadn't. She was still unsure why vampire blood had failed to awaken the witch, but maybe she'll never know. All that remained was a comatose Bonnie Bennett, a missing Klaus, a hurting Damon … and herself.

"Liz... I'm off. I want to check out the place I found Katherine in before it's too late. Can you..." he trailed off, knowing the woman understood. She nodded and got up to check on her sleeping daughter. How long would it be before she awoke again? Will she ever? The last question gave her shivers, but it was an option nevertheless. Maybe this was a healing attempt, she wondered when the front door closed with a quiet click and she was once again alone with her absent-minded daughter. Never in her life had she thought it could be possible, but she'd been wrong before, so why not this time as well?

Klaus Mikealson had always been led by his emotions and ambition, well, that is until he met her. Caroline Forbes. The new vampire had somehow crawled under his skin and latched herself there, filling him with her light and joy for life and, before he knew it, he'd fallen. He'd done what he'd sworn to never again happen after Tatia, he'd fallen in love.

The road was dark and empty, the street lights barely making a difference to normal people, but he was not normal. He was a hybrid and thus he needn't them, but he couldn't not be reminded of what awaited him upon return. The desolate and eerie atmosphere was no more then a heads-up to what was yet to come. He'd been gone for two weeks now, yet somehow he knew nothing had changed, well, nothing significant. Caroline, his beautiful, strong Caroline would still be lost and chained to that damnable bed when he returned and there was no way, that he knew of, to remedy that.

Sometimes, as he closed his eyes, he could hear her laughter, or see her smile brighten the room, but then he'd open them again and she'd still be gone, trapped inside the deepest recesses of her mind in a desperate attempt to ignore reality. He felt rage swell up inside every time he thought back on that night. He'd been so, so happy when he'd read her letter. When his eyes traced those wonderful words she'd written for him that he rushed immediately back to the dreary Mystic Falls to see her. What he hadn't, in another thousand years, thought could happen was what welcomed him. As he neared her house, he heard screams. Usually he would have ignored the infernal noise, but this time was different. The agonized yells for help were hers and he needed to move faster. He left the car in the middle of the road and ran to the place they were coming from.

What awaited him there was nothing short of tragedy. His Caroline was held down and beaten by a man while two others were... He couldn't think about that now, the steering wheel already developed bumps from holding it too tightly. He had killed the two easily, they were wretched humans after all, but the other one... he'd escaped. Klaus wasn't sure what the man had been, but there was nothing human about him, except the outer shell. The bastard had escaped and for the life of him, Klaus couldn't find him!

"Fuck!" he spat as he punched the board of the car. How could this happen, no one eluded him! No one! A screeching sound caught his attention as a truck almost hit him. He steered right and avoided the crash, his mind redirected briefly from the trauma usually haunting it. He wished the young vampire hadn't changed him so. If he were still the harden man he had been when he first returned to Mystic Falls, then _this_ would have been easier, but he wasn't. _She_ had changed that and by doing so, him. He no longer cared about his hybrids or his mother's betrayal, he was now too focused on making her better again. On returning her light. He needed her back even if he were to relinquish his own life.

"Oh, sweetheart... what could you possibly be experiencing inside your mind to keep you away for so long? Is it that much better than reality?" but despite this, Klaus knew the truth. Anything was better than her reality, anything was better than waking up as a rape victim.


	4. Chapter 3

I own nothing except maybe the plot.

**- Chapter 3 -**

When Damon returned the next morning, his face had taken a rather ashen color and his eyes turned a few shades darker than usual. Liz was sitting on Caroline's bed, the girl was awake but otherwise unresponsive as the woman braided her hair and sang a soft lullaby. The moment the man's face became visible, Liz tied the braid and swiftly got up.

"What's the matter? You... what did you find there?" the nervous stutter in her voice spoke of her worry and Damon decided to aid in that regard by pouring both of them a glass of bourbon. Taking a swing at the drink, Liz then focused her attention on the vampire's tale. He launched into a detailed description of the site, then he spoke of the way he'd found Katherine positioned – Liz had a hard time listening when this came up. In spite of the many sick things she'd seen in her line of work, this had taken the cake for sure. Who could think to twist a person's body so grotesquely and yet keep the person alive? It was cruel and inhumane! – then he finally began telling the important details, like foot prints and method of attack.

As he was reaching the end of it, Liz was already caught between crying and laughing in disbelief. From what Damon has managed to gather, the… _thing _that killed Katherine is quite possibly the same one that violated Caroline. Now, usually, should a case like this arise at the precinct she would feel mildly sad and extremely angered, however this wasn't just another case where she could ignore all personal feelings. No! This was her daughter, this was about her and her friends and … Damn it all to hell! It hurt like a bitch!

Both were so caught up in their own painful memories and their heartache that neither paid any mind to the opening of the front door or the man entering the house. Klaus had arrived at just the opportune moment to hear Damon's declaration of "It might be the same bastard that did _this _to Caroline". And since the hybrid had never been one for patience, the second the information registered in his mind, he punched a wall and stormed inside the kitchen. Liz was startled and Damon on guard, but both relaxed and yet grew more worried as they saw him.

"Klaus... you're back!" Liz exclaimed and stumbled towards the wrathful man, her mind having a pleasant buzz from all the bourbon she'd consumed. Failing to hug him properly due to the alcohol she'd drunk, she instead gripped his upper arm and began crying. The woman stayed in that position for a long time, enough for the two males to communicate the next course of action by just staring at each other. The obvious care they both felt for the girl in the next room had more than once led to their working together, but at this time, it was so much more tying the two supernatural creatures. A nod and it was over. They knew what had to be done, but first, Caroline had to be brought back to the land of the living and, if there was any way, then Bonnie should be healed as well.

There was a sense of peace all around her and she wished for it to never end...There was a light that she knew would never fade, yet somehow she also knew she would leave this paradise behind for she was tainted. Then the calm was trashed and she was ripped from heaven once more.

I was drifting, I realized that much the very second I got here, but where or why or even how I did not discover ever. I also was aware that this … _place_ was not real. It couldn't possibly be real as all I felt, saw, smelt, heard or tasted was pure white … nothing. I wasn't aware of eating anything, I didn't have a body. I _was _light and that was... in itself, a wonder and a lie. I had a body, somewhere. I had a normal, real, flesh and blood and bones and muscles and all that made up a body, but my mind was elsewhere, I realized a few... _minutes_? _hours? __d__ay__s__? __w__eeks? _later, and I felt oddly comforted. If I wasn't real, then I could feel no pain, no sadness no... no love, no joy. I started crying. I could somehow feel the salty water run down my face, but I couldn't move my hand to wipe it away. My mind was still lost here... wherever _here_ was.

White surrounded me everywhere and the peace I felt deep within was infinite. I never wanted to leave, but I knew, more then ever before in my life, that I should. If I stayed longer, I would remain trapped and …

Mum! I yelled and it echoed throughout every corner. I wanted to panic if only to know I was alive still, but the perpetual calmness overwhelmed me.

"Mum?!" I heard myself utter and I felt my mouth move. How? For so long I had been lost, why now? I tried again, but this time, nothing. I swirled around, eyes darting in all and every direction all at once and my head _hurt!_ I was awaking! Ugh, why was I waking up? No no no no no NO! STOP! I don't want to wake up! I don't want real, I take it back! Real hurts! I cried out, but no words emerged from my mouth.

_I take it back! I take it back! I take it back! Please please please! STOP!_

I felt like screaming! I was screaming. Why am I so stupid?! Why did I wish to return?!

"Klaus! She waking up! I can't hold her down any more!" I heard mum speak. She sounded distressed, afraid even. Why? Was it something I did? Did I hurt her? And … Klaus... what was _he _doing here? Last I heard he left after … Esther, was it?! What happened? Why can't I remember?!

"Caroline? Sweetie? Are you there?" No mum, I'm in Timbuktu! Yes, I'm here! Wait! Wait wait wait! My voice... Can't I speak? Why can't I speak? Panic, I felt it now, I was filled with it, gradually swallowing me whole.

"Shh! Calm down. I'm here. Nod if you can understand me honey." she spoke as one would a baby or perhaps an idiot. I was neither. I peered through my heavy eyelashes and glared as best as I could. She was staring at me, patient and eager. Begrudgingly I nodded. What harm would it do?

"Can you speak?" I shook my head. Vaguely I heard a man- Damon?!- mutter something. I almost jumped at his neck. But I couldn't move. Why couldn't I... Oh! Oh oh oh! I was tied. To my bed... weird...

"Yes, one second. I just... we need to make sure you won't attack us again, honey." Again? When did I? Never mind... I just want out of these things. Who came up with this genius idea? Damon? Or maybe someone else... Klaus? Nah, can't be him. He's... I'm not sure what he is, but he wouldn't do this to me, right?

"Okay, I'll cut these ones, but promise you won't do anything rash." Sure, what would I do? Rip into some ones throat? I saw the scissors move up above my head and felt them graze my arm before hearing the tale-tell snip! and my hands were free. I gingerly rubbed each wrist in turn as I looked expectantly at mum and Damon. Ha! I knew it had been him! And, surprise surprise, Klaus. What the hell was going on here? And why the kicked puppy look on their faces?


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

**- Chapter 4 -**

"Uhm... what's going on? Did I do something? Has something happened?" the fast movement of her beautiful blue eyes darting from one to the other and then back again was a clear sign of her confusion, her panic however was easily recognizable by the ever moving mouth of hers. Despite this, none of the people staring at her in a combination of wonder, happiness and hurt answered, choosing instead to marvel at her awakening. Her voice had not yet returned, but that did not stop the ever flowing questions from spilling from her wordless mouth.

"Seriously! What's wrong?! Mum? Damon? K-Klaus?" her voice began trembling horribly in her mind. What was it with them? It's not like she's been asleep for ages! Right? So what was the big issue? Unwilling to be ignored, the blonde frantically shifts her view from one to the other questioningly.

Suddenly, as if finally they return to Earth, the sheriff cleared her throat and moved to sit beside Caroline, the distressed girl seeking comfort in her mother's arms. The soft, whispered reassurance which came from the woman's lips was greatly appreciated and Caroline managed to calm herself down in a short while. She tried to remember anything, but her mind hurt whenever she did so. It was quickly becoming unbearable. Caroline stopped trying.

"Oh, sweetheart!" she heard Klaus whisper, yet he made no move to approach the embracing women. He was standing, a few feet away from her bed, his head bow and his face a mask of painful, agonized thoughts. Caroline lifted her head to look at him. She was ever more shocked to see him staring back, his own eyes riddled with puzzlement.

Frustrated, the blonde teen untangled herself from Liz and, sitting up on her own, she tried to convey her wish using her hands. She mimicked the movement of writing in order to ask them for some paper and pen. Nodding, Damon left the room only to enter it again mere seconds later, a notebook and a pen in hand. He handed them to her as she moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

Thankful, the girl inclined her head to him and took them. She didn't write anything however as her vision was directed to her legs. They were, much like her wrists, marred by the already healing lacerations from the rope that held her to the bedposts, but that was not the reason for her scrutinize. From her knees up, and further still as the lines disappeared underneath her short nightgown – an oversized T-shirt she'd bought ages ago – were what appeared to be scratch marks, red, blotchy and not healing. She put the notebook and pen on the sheets and bent, slowly, cautiously as her body was no longer used to operating itself, and traced one from the outer edge of the kneecap up over her thighs and further still over her hipbone stopping just below her breasts. She had forgotten about the other inhabitants of the room as she did so, only being reminded by Damon's suggestive cough and her mom's gasp. Caroline dropped the cloth and stood up, too quickly, she realized, as the wall spun and she was falling forward. She half expected to intimately be acquainted with the floor, but the usual slam which came with it never make its appearance. Instead she felt two pairs of hands steady her. Klaus was holding her up with his hands around her waist while Damon had instead chosen to push her shoulders back.

"Careful, Blondie!" came the brunette's voice as she came to her senses once more. She let the hybrid lead her back toward the bed and push her gently to sit down on it. Seeing the wisdom of the action, she settled back down and took the previously discarded pen and notebook.

_What happened to me? _She wrote and showed them the question. She saw their obvious discomfort and pressed harder. She needed answers! She pointed towards the written sentence and pinned them with a heated stare, as if to say "Answer me, dammit!" Caroline watched as tears gathered in Liz's eyes and as Damon avoided her gaze. Klaus however was conflicted. He seemed to debate whether to tell her everything or just parts of it. At last he appeared to make a choice as he turned to the other two.

"I'll tell her. I found her that night, after all." his voice held fear and anguish as he spoke and all those present could hear it. The blonde watched as her mum and her sire left the room, leaving her alone with the same hybrid who had time and again declared, in one way or another, that he loved her. She'd acknowledged the fact a while ago, maybe the night after the ball, maybe some other time, she wasn't sure, but she knew the truth. She scooted to her right, making space for him to join her.

_Well... what happened? When did you come back? Why can't I remember what happened?_ She wrote and then showed it to him.

A few more seconds passed in complete silence as he thought of the best way to address the situation. "What is the last thing you remember?"

_Uhm...I'm not sure. I recall your mum leaving and you and the rest of your siblings going after her. I remember Tyler coming home. I also know I was planning to break up with him... I was going to write you a letter too... That's about it... I think..._

He nodded. "That you did. You sent it too. I still have it. You also broke up with the mutt the same night _this -"_ he gestured to her wounds "happened." She looked up at him surprised. What the hell?! When?! How?! Why didn't she have any recollection of any of this?!

_When was that, Klaus?_

"That was months ago. That night was approximately four months ago, you fell into this … _abyss_ about a month later." he tried to explain but she already knew what abyss he spoke of. Her moments of peace, her heaven. She nodded in disbelief. What could have driven her to this? She asked him so.

"You... oh, love, you were beaten and tortured and then... you were raped."

"_You... oh, love, you were beaten and tortured and then... you were raped."_

This phrase has been haunting me since. It's been two days since then and yet, I know nothing more about what had been done to me. Mum has been following me everywhere I go, all overprotective mother bear, Damon was so focused with catching whoever did this and killed Katherine – yes, I've heard about it – that he was almost never here. No, I can't say I am grieving for the 500 year old vampire bitch, but she did, unknowingly, help me so I am slightly sad – and Klaus, he just avoids me. I find it odd learning about myself during the so called abyss. I found out I had been mostly ruled by vampire instincts, but that I was still aware of what had happened. It would appear I had fought tooth and claw against anyone who tried to aid me in showering or dressing or eating or sleeping or really doing anything. I was mistrustful and hurt people. Mum even showed me a really long scar across her chest that I apparently helped create. I'm glad she did, otherwise I would be hard pressed in thinking they were lying about the gravity of the situation. I found nothing about the still unhealing, still painful scratch marks on my body.

I don't know what to say. I saw Bonnie today, finally. Seeing her connected to all these machines and tubes and knowing somehow, a while ago, I had been the one to put her there, hurts. _So much_. The hurtful sound of the ventilator that keeps her breathing will haunt me in my dreams and the beeping of her heartbeat makes something in my stomach twist painfully as I know she could die any day. Today, I talked to her and held her hand and cried. I don't think I've cried this much, ever, not even when dad –

Any ways, Klaus has been gathering info about witches so we can help her. Frankly, I think she's better of like this, no one can hurt her again this way. She is the one getting hurt every time we come up with a plan and she is the one that eventually saves the day. I wish she would stop, I wish she could no longer be hurt by us. Not by Abby, not by Damon, or Elena, Stefan, Klaus … me. _It's all my fault_. The first time mum told me about Bon, I didn't believe it, but when it finally sunk in, it was so hard to cope – _to breath_ – with the thought that I had brought my best friend to a state near death.

I sometimes wish to remember everything, but then I look at the long scratch marks on my body and the thought leaves faster then how it came. Maybe I shouldn't remember. Maybe...


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own TVD! Enjoy the new chapter!

**- Chapter 5 -**

_The night was cool and joyous. I was walking back home, pleased, despite the slight pain in my arms. I had just broken up with Tyler and he hadn't reacted well. He'd lost his control and scratched me from the shoulders down. But at least he hadn't bitten me again. I ran as fast as I could when he began transforming, but regardless of that, the damage had been done. I could barely feel my arms, but at least I was free to do as I wished. It felt good, being free. Also, it wasn't like the wounds would not heal in a few minutes, I could already feel the skin stitching itself together._

_I was walking down an empty road, going home, when a noise of a twig snapping disrupts my meditative state. I look up and around, but see nothing so I just chuck it to the back of my head thinking it is just a small animal running around in search for food. _I've never been so wrong in my life!

_The moment I face forward again I feel the ridiculously familiar sensation of being sedated and kidnapped. But I don't fall asleep as I usually am forced to do, instead, I see two large, bulky guys come in front of me and, taking hold of each of my arms, they drag me slightly into the woods. I'm so dizzy and buzzed I can't even make a sound. I hate this feeling, of weakness, of being unable to control my own actions. Then, they dump me on the cool, hard forest floor and I curse, knowing my favorite top is now ruined. It's strange that when faced with these situation ones mind tends to drift and focus on the most trivial of things, I muse. The one who'd administrated the drug to make me 'compliant' – I'd heard someone in a movie say and I thought it fit the scenario extremely, _frighteningly_, well – was suddenly at my heels and moving forward still. I suppressed a shudder of apprehension and tried to lift my head enough to glance at his or her face. I couldn't. I was paralyzed._

_My head was just beginning to hurt when he knelt next to me and flipped me onto my back so I was staring the devil in the eye. I gasped as I saw his face and frantically attempted to scurry away. He caught my useless act and put a stop to it by glaring at me. I don't know how it was …_ is_ possible, but he'd rendered me boneless and motionless with that one look of ultimate hate. My heart rose in my throat and I swallowed hard, whimpering as he touched my ankle, caressing it. He smiled – a dark, cruel smile that froze my insides and twisted my stomach – and I don't know how I didn't just throw up right then and there, before I was pulled down, underneath him, his eyes meeting mine. I passed out._

* * *

Caroline Forbes got up from her bed so fast she was now backed up against the opposite wall, the shards of what used to be a vase splattered on the floor, breathing harshly through her mouth, panting even, with wide scared blue eyes and an unearthly scream being ripped from deep inside her very core. She trashed and turned in Klaus' arms when he tried to comfort and reassure her, whispering in her ear soft loving words. _Had he been here all night?_ Her mind wondered. She eventually came to her senses and relaxed, burying her face in his shirt. The onslaught of tears threatened to overwhelm her, but then he was pulling her face away and tilting it up, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she blushed, laughing sheepishly, she couldn't remember what had frightened her so. He maneuvered them back toward the bed.

"What was that, love? Why did you react like this, did you remember something?" he questioned as they laid on her bed, her blond head resting on his shoulder, his legs on either side of hers, her back to his chest. She was playing with his hands, thoughtful and concentrated as if it was the most important thing in the world when he broke the silence. She looked up to him, kissed the underside of his jaw and shrugged. She couldn't remember her dream anymore, though she knew it had been a nightmare. He let it slide as he was enjoying himself to much. Ever since her return to the world of the sentient she'd been more then open to him, affectionate, sweet and, dare he say it, loving. And, once he'd abandoned his stupid decision of ignoring her, the two had become almost inseparable. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't complaining in the slightest, it just seemed odd, the pace in which things were happening and, despite her letter, the time frame she was stuck in was one before the endearing white sheet written for him. He sighed and smiled brightly when he felt her snuggle further into his arms, a small moan of contentment escaping her lips. She was still very tired so it came as no surprise to him that when he looked down to see her she was already fast asleep. He shook his head and closed his own eyes. Rest was a welcome reprise from reality most often than not.

* * *

Damon and Liz had taken short but well earned break from taking care of the blond vampire currently hiding in Klaus' arms, not they they were aware of this. Instead of being home, sleeping as any normal being was at this ungodly hour of night – or morning, mused Damon – the two were out drinking. Hardly had Liz been drinking with the vampire on duty or otherwise, but it was pleasantly calming, she found. Unable to stop herself she chucked one of the little umbrellas her margarita had at his head, slumped over the bar. It hit him in the middle of his black as midnight hair – _wow, she's full of comparisons tonight –_ making him shoot up looking bewildered. He shot her a confused look and then laughed hard at the state of them. They _really_ were pathetic. No one, not one soul, was awake except for them and they were wasting time at a bar getting bat-shit drunk. What was wrong with them? They should be celebrating, only they didn't feel so celebrate-y lately, what with Katherine dying with no warning, Klaus' unexpected return and Caroline's miraculous come back to life so-to-speak. Life was shitty and they deserved to get fucking drunk if they wanted to!

Damon looked at Liz again and found she was softly snoring on her arms, a satisfied smile stretched on her lips. He blinked once and huffed. _He_ hadn't been allowed to sleep, so why was she?! But he couldn't move enough to return the favor without risking falling out of his stool so he sat and stared into nothing. Unable to stop his mind from wandering and not fast enough to derail, it reached that month. Damon was painfully dragged into the past, about a day or so after Stefan and Elena left. He could still see Caroline's saddened smile.

"Ugh, why now?!" he mentally whined, but he nevertheless let it roll. It had been the day after the Mikealson's ball, Rebekah had just left after a good amount of gloating over Elena's obvious jealousy fit when he was bombarded by the most peculiar statement.

"If you're mad at me, Damon, you need to get over it" she'd said. How did she reach this conclusion?! He thought no longer amused. How does one think that, since he's slept with Rebekah, he is obviously mad at _her_?! Someone? Anyone?! No? Well, neither did he as he nonchalantly replied.

"Oh, I'm over it." He honestly tried to find it within himself to forgive her for last night, he even went so far as to consider she had been speaking out of anger for her plan being ruined, but he had known that was it.

"I'm mad at you because I love you." he'd yelled at her the night before only to be hit with his own heart in the face. She'd managed to cut it out of him despite his best defenses and now she was throwing it back, battered and heavy.

"Well maybe that's the problem." He couldn't remember exactly when they'd left, before or after he was being cut in half by a witch working with God-knows-who, all he knew was that he was slowly coming apart at the seams, barely able to think when he was left alone. If he had wanted lately to forgive Stefan, after this, he and his little girlfriend could say goodbye and sayonnara.

He couldn't believe it when he'd woken up and found Caroline standing over him, a sad smile on her face and a roll of bandages in hand, drenched in blood from head to feet.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Own nothing sadly.

* * *

**- Chapter 6 -**

* * *

After his so called fight with Elena, Damon went back upstairs to his room. He wanted some peace and quiet – and really, could you blame him? Not only had she ruined his morning, she'd also put him in a foul mood. Why did Elena have to be so frustrating and hard to understand sometimes?! He'd thought they'd bonded, but it would appear he had been wrong. He laid on his bed and closed his eyes, exhaling once loudly. He didn't need to breath but most times it was a reflex, right now though, he wanted complete silence so he stopped breathing altogether.

As he let his mind go over the last two years of his life, he failed to notice the short red haired woman levitating through his window pane. He let himself drift farther and further into his own thoughts as she stopped at the foot of his bed. She traced her eyes over his rather fit body, lingering at his abdomen area and neck. She put one hand in her pocket and retrieved a knife – dagger might be a more accurate description – and turned it in her hand once, twice trice, measuring and calculating how fast or swift she could cut either body part. She settled on his waist, as it was harder to split giving her the time required to perform her spell.

Slowly focusing her mind on his shirt, she slowly undid each and every button that held it together and obscuring his alabaster skin. She watched as his chest was still, not rising, nor falling as he was not breathing. She briefly wondered if he had died already, but the thought was preposterous, unless he was beheaded, or staked or had his heart ripped out, or, maybe, desiccated, then there was no way he had died.

Gasp! He moved, turning slightly onto his right side, letting the shirt fall apart further. Holding her own breath, the red head's hand trembled, the knife getting slippery as she began sweating. She was a powerful witch, she knew this, but he was an almost two centuries old vampire that had a history killing witches. She had to be careful around him. A long, deep breath later, she spells the bedposts to wrap around his arms, holding him in place, then the sheets to twist around the torso, creating a tourniquet. He slept still, but a frown was slowly engulfing his handsome features. Another twist in her hand of the dagger. She lifts the hand, the tip of the blade pointing downwards, a mental chant, a tightening of the sheets and posts and she plunges forward.

"AHH!" Damon screams as he feels a sharp, stabbing pain inside his abdomen. His eyes snap open, his muscles clench, his limbs began pulling on the bonds keeping him in place and he smothers his screaming. He focuses on the young woman standing above him, her hand tight around the dagger handle, shaking somewhat and splattered with blood – _his blood _– and he ponders what she could possibly want.

"What are you doing?!" he hisses, letting his vampire face show through. He struggles some more for a few seconds before she casts another spell that renders him unable to either move or speak. He muses whether Stefan or Elena heard the yell from earlier, but he can hear the car starting up. Hie eyes well up with unshed tears as the pain gets unbearable. She's twisting the dagger into the opening she'd created, then she begins cutting through flesh. To Damon's complete horror she'd manage to stop his healing process or at least slow it enough so he can't feel any relief from the wound that gets larger and wider with every second passed.

"Stefan? Are you sure Damon is fine? I heard him scream..." the voice of one Elena Gilbert barely registers in his mind when he hears his brother, callously, state "he's fine" and her humming in agreement. What is wrong with them?! He's obviously in pain! Get back inside, save him! But he lets the thought drift away as the car drives off and doesn't return. He vaguely recalls the witch slashing through his abdomen, so far inside his body he can feel her hands move through his intestines and the sharp blade graze his spinal cord, but he can no longer feel any pain, his skin is graying at an alarming rate and he wonders again if he's to die here, today. He losses consciousness when she brakes his spine, as white hot lava of pain rushes through him at incredible speed.

When he wakes up – though he had been sure he wouldn't ever again – he sees Caroline smiling down at him, tears falling from her eyes. She bends over, lifting him into her arms and takes the bandage, wrapping it around his – finally – healing flesh. He trashes when the stinging and ache settles in, but for the most part he is very much paralyzed from waist down. He still has trouble walking properly even after almost half a year, but it has healed beautifully. She had saved him from the witch before the red head could cut him truly in half. That explained the bloodied attire she wore as she bandaged him that day, the thought makes its way through his sleep-hazed drunken mind.

"Liz... LIZ!" someone yells and both him and his drinking partner, the woman in cause, jump three feet in the air. Clutching at their heads, they both glare at the bastard that dared disturb their sleep. Then they look at each other, then back again at the blonde young man before them, looking amused at their misfortune, then again at the other. Maybe they've become drinking twins, Damon ponders, highly amused himself, once the hangover passes, almost four hours later.

* * *

"What on Earth were you two doing?!" screams Caroline, voice fully operational after almost two weeks, hands on her hips, her blue eyes glaring intently at her mother and her friend. Weren't they suppose to be the adults? Haven't they taken care of her all this time?! She paced the very few steps she could make in her living room, gesturing wildly with her hands in the sky, rambling about who knows what. Liz winces and buries her head in her hands, groaning, her hangover not yet beaten, Damon scowls, rolls his eyes and gets up. He catches Caroline by the shoulders and shakes her a bit to calm her down. He doesn't think anything will come out of it, she's headstrong and has a fiery temper, but he most definitely doesn't expect her to shake so badly, or to jerk in his arms so harshly or – above all else really – he had no idea she was going to give out that heart-retching sob, that shakes _him_ to his very core.

"No! Please don't! Let – let m-me g-go, I … Please!" and he loses his grip, stumbling backwards. He watches as she collapses on the floor, he realizes as she trembles with the power of her cries and he sees as she shakes back and forth, over and over and over again. She remembers. The very idea that she could recall that night makes him want to commit murder – which, frankly, he has been wanting for almost five months now – and kill himself at the same time. It's _his _fault!

"I... I'm sorry." he whispers and, despite the obvious wish to bury his head in the sand, he makes a choice. He steps forward, kneels beside Liz, slowly extricating the older woman from around the young vampire and wraps his own arms, replacing Liz's. Shuddering, Caroline begins to relax, inhaling his scent and going lag in his arms. He lets go and moves only slightly out of the way. Blue eyes to gray-blue eyes, they meet and she smiles through her tears.

The next morning she remembers nothing from the night of the rape, but she has a renewed strength to fight with whatever has happened to her. She wonders if it's Damon's merit – with his unwavering faith in her strength – then she thinks it's Klaus' – his warm embraces and his love for her fueling her fire – then she ponders that it may be her mom's – sticking to her like glue, protective, but willing to give her freedom – but she knows, deep down, that it is neither's. It's her owns power shining through the walls of pain and fear, the light Klaus had see, the same one that had drawn Damon to her, the same one her mother had always believed was there. Her own.


End file.
